Thinking about mobile PPC campaigns

After a couple of false dawns concerning ‘the year of mobile’, we appear to have entered the decade of mobile instead. There’s such a wealth of information about how mobile is taking over desktop search that I’m sure someone, sat in a room somewhere, is continuously creating new ways to entice us to embrace mobile.

But we don’t need more of these statistics; everyone knows that mobile is growing and will continue to do so. Retailers want to know how to make this traffic convert, not whether it’s there and willing to convert.

From a PPC perspective, the one thing to remember is that a mobile phone is not a PC – no matter how much the device manufacturers would like us all to believe it.

The strategy of opting-in campaigns is a lazy one which will mean retailers’ pounds are not being spent in the most-efficient manner.

As conversion rates differ on mobile, bids should differ too. So unique accounts, or at least campaigns, are a necessity for any client with a mobile PPC strategy.

Splitting out campaigns is the first step but a ‘drag & drop’ approach is only half a fix.

Search terms are generally shorter on a mobile phone, but every retailer should validate this assumption.

Review search query reports and look at what users are typing in to trigger your keywords. Better still, review the natural search terms that drive converting traffic to your website. We have tool sets that not only do this, but also collate and suggest areas within bespoke mobile accounts where they should sit.

Lastly, consider your AdTexts. I’m certainly tired of searching on Google and ending up on a website that’s not optimised for mobile. So if your site is optimised – shout about it. Make sure that your customers know that the experience behind the next click is going to be straightforward.

Remember: the two words in Google’s mobile strategy strap-line (Think Mobile) are as important as each other… Not just mobile – think!